GEMS Royal Dubai School

GEMS Royal Dubai School is located in Al Mizhar 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The campus sits in the Al Mizhar/Mirdif area and is accessible by main roads, serving a family-focused neighbourhood. The address is 76 11A Street, Al Mizhar 1.

The school currently serves Foundation Stage to Year 9. It started with Foundation Stage and Primary, launched Year 7 in 2024, and introduced Year 8 in the 2025–26 academic year, with a brand-new secondary campus planned to open in 2026 to accommodate older students.

The school is co-educational (mixed gender) and operates as a day school. Boarding facilities are not offered.

The student body includes families from more than 40 nationalities. The school describes itself as having a diverse international community; published nationalities and exact local-to-international ratios are not disclosed, though other sources reference tens of nationalities (roughly in the forties to sixties).

The school providesAdditional Learning Needs (SEN) provisions and has been recognised with the SENDIA Inclusion Award for inclusive education.

The school follows the National Curriculum for England; there is no formal country affiliation.

There is no religious affiliation stated. Arabic and Islamic Education are taught as MOE subjects where required by the curriculum.

The school week runs Monday to Friday. Daily timings typically begin around 7:30–7:40 am and end in the mid-afternoon to early evening, depending on year group; breaks and lunch are part of the day, with enrichment activities included.

Transportation is outsourced to School Transport Services LLC (STS). STS operates a GPS-tracked, CCTV-equipped fleet with attendance monitoring. To register, contact the STS Service Delivery Executive; route availability is confirmed by location and driver details are provided after enrollment. You can request updates via the STS app or contact sde-rds@sts-group.com for details.

GEMS Royal Dubai School follows the National Curriculum for England from the Early Years Foundation Stage through Secondary, with Arabic and Islamic Education delivered in line with MOE requirements and English as the language of instruction. In Primary (ages about 5–11), core subjects are English, Mathematics, and Science, with a wider curriculum including History, Geography, Performing Arts, Music, French, Computing, Sport and Modern Foreign Languages, supported by specialist teaching in these areas. The Secondary program is built on Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) and will offer GCSE, BTEC, A Level and vocational pathways in Key Stage 4 and 5 (Years 10-13) in coming academic years. Arabic and Islamic Education is integrated across the curriculum, with Arabic taught from the early years and Islamic studies incorporated alongside other MOE subjects. The school provides English Language Learning support for non-native English speakers via Individual Language Plans tailored to each student. GEMS Royal Dubai School is expanding to serve 3–18-year-olds and has been rated Outstanding by British Schools Overseas, with KHDA ratings reported as Very Good.

GEMS Royal Dubai School supports Social and Emotional Learning through the RDShineBright Wellbeing Core, which operates within the

RoyalStandard framework. The Core fosters emotional, mental, and physical health and emphasizes resilience and self-care to help students thrive in all areas of life. The school also emphasises that every child matters and provides personalised attention to nurture each student's talents, abilities and needs, supporting an inclusive, caring environment. A member of the senior leadership team, Michaela Bullock, serves as Assistant Principal with 11 years of SENCO experience, highlighting a strong focus on wellbeing and inclusive education. The Principal's welcome stresses an inclusive, family-oriented ethos and high expectations for personal development.

The school has a dedicated SENCO, Michaela Bullock, who has 11 years of SENCO experience. The school operates within a mainstream, inclusive setting rather than as a specialist SEN institution. SEN support is integrated into the school model and led by the SENCO and senior leaders. The kinds of Special Educational Needs the school can support are not explicitly listed on public-facing materials. The school emphasises holistic development and wellbeing alongside academic progress within an inclusive environment.

GEMS Royal Dubai School offers the English Language Learning (ELL) programme for students who are not native English speakers. An Individual Language Plan (ILP) is used to identify targets and tailor English language instruction and support sessions. Liadh Sheehan, the ELL and Gifted and Talented Lead at RDS, leads the ELL provision. FlashAcademy has been used to support English language acquisition since August 2021, including independent practice and vocabulary development across languages. About 4% of students are reported as accessing English language support, reflecting a structured approach within a diverse student body.

The RDShineBright Wellbeing Core fosters emotional, mental, and physical health. The Wellbeing framework is part of the

RoyalStandard approach and emphasizes resilience and self-care to empower students. DSIB 2023-24 rated Wellbeing as Outstanding, noting that students feel safe, valued and well supported. The Principal highlights an inclusive environment focused on personal development as part of wellbeing. Michaela Bullock's SENCO role also includes a wellbeing focus for students with additional needs.

The School Policies page shows a dedicated section to view and download safeguarding-related documents, indicating formal safeguarding policies exist. DSIB 2023-24 notes that students feel safe and well supported, reflecting safeguarding in practice. The Principal describes the community as inclusive and safe, reinforcing safeguarding in daily practice. Wellbeing initiatives, including RDShineBright, are integrated with safeguarding across the school's approach to student welfare.

1. Enrol Online. GEMS Royal Dubai School accepts applications for the 2025–2026 and 2026–2027 academic years. The enrolment is a two-step online process: complete the online form, then a member of the Admissions Team will guide you through the next steps. After submission, an acknowledgement email is sent with a link to finalise the application. The documents required to move to Step 3 are recent school reports (not needed for FS1/FS2) and copies of Emirates IDs and/or passports; upload any other documents you have to speed up the process.

2. Finalise your application and gather MOE documents. To proceed, complete the online application and await confirmation from the admissions team. UAE Ministry of Education requirements state that you must submit copies of the student's Emirates ID, the student's passport (if the Emirates ID is not issued), the parents' Emirates IDs, the parents' passports (if the Emirates IDs are not issued), the applicant's birth certificate (in English or Arabic), the vaccination record, a recent passport photograph, the student's school reports for the last two years, and a Transfer Certificate (needed on the first day of attendance). The application fee is AED 525 (refundable if no place is offered). Upload any additional documents you have to speed up processing.

3. Interview and placement test. You will be contacted by the school to arrange an interview and/or admissions assessment for your child. The school aims to interview every child and parent prior to entry, and each child must take an age-related placement test to ensure readiness for the high-quality education on offer. Offer decisions are not based solely on entrance tests; when English National Curriculum assessments are present in the reports, places may be offered based on the two latest reports; otherwise a placement test may be required.

4. Offer and registration/payment. If a place is offered, you will be contacted to pay the non-refundable registration fee to secure the seat. The family will be informed about the AED 525 application fee payable at the time of applying (refundable if no place is offered; non-refundable if a place is offered and accepted). The UAEMOE Transfer Certificate must be presented before starting; FS1, FS2 and Year 1 joining in September do not require a Transfer Certificate at application time, but other transfer requirements apply. Transfer Certificates must meet formatting and attestation rules depending on country of origin.

5. Admissions range. The school conducts admissions for Foundation Stage 1 (FS1) through Year 9, with Year 8 admissions open for 2025–2026 and secondary expansion proceeding in the planned phases.